pine brook press issues... · trees and plants to prevent erosion and to make the site attractive....

Pine Brook PressA Quarterly Journal for, about and by

Pine Brook Hills Residents

WINTER 2008

MOVING THE DIRTBy Al Gerrish

According to Bob de Haas, we are fast approaching the time to

“move the dirt” for the reservoir. Bob estimates that sometime between May and Sep-tember the State will have approved moving the dirt pile beside Linden Drive to the front of the dam. Then we will be able to recontour the land surround-ing the reservoir. He estimates the cost to do the job will be about $75,000. The good news is that with this dirt move and recon-

touring we’ll really improve the appearance of our new reservoir. The bad news is that the District does not have the funds to do the dirt move and recontouring job. So now is a good time for Pine Brook residents to step up and help the district get the job done. To finish the work, we are proposing to ask the Pine Brook community to donate the funds and to get involved. It is estimated that the $75,000 will cover the costs for actually moving the dirt and completing the basic landscaping for the grounds surrounding the reservoir. The landscaping will use natural grasses and some trees and plants to prevent erosion and to make the site attractive. You can help by writing a donation check to the Pine

Brook Water District with Moving the Dirt Project in the memo line of your check. Our attorney has said that donations to the Water District for the purpose of public benefit are tax deductible based on section

170 (c) of the tax code. All donations will receive a written confirmation from the District confirming the gift and stating that the gift is tax deductible.

Using the Pine Brook Website, we plan to keep everyone up to date on the progress of the dirt moving and the status of the donations. Thanks in advance for your contributions and your involvement in this important and satisfying community project.

The Reservoir in summer.....Remember summer?

TEAM WORK

Photo by Matt Beaty

On January 2nd, a propane heater caused a fire at a cabin on the Star House property. Boulder

Mountain firefighters responded in force, along with firefighters from Boulder Rural, Sunshine and Four Mile fire districts in a superb example of team work and mutual aid. Damage was contained and the cabin saved.

PINE BROOK PRESS WINTER 2008

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PARTING GIFT

After more than twenty seven years of living on North Cedar Brook, Pete and Pat Palmer are moving

to a retirement community in Boulder. Valuable and much appreciated members of PBH for almost three decades, on a recent sunny morning they regaled the Press with Pat’s limericks.....a parting gift.

There once was a rockhound named PeteWho performed a remarkable feat.Each rock he would jostleDisclosed a new fossilA trilobite, sometimes complete!

There once was a woman named PatWho for years wore a great big black hat.When asked why she wore itShe said: “I adore it.”There is no better reason than that.

With five children scattered in Alberta, California, Florida, Kansas and Virginia, the Palmers intend to remain in the area: “It’s hard to beat Boulder.”

This photo hanging in their front hall makes it hard to believe they have been here only 27 years. That’s Pat and Pete on the right. The young ‘uns are their five kids. The old patriarch is Pat’s dad.Pete is well known to many Pine Brookers for his

geological talk-walks around the neighborhood. He is quite willing to do it again for those interested. About fifteen years ago he got interested in “sustainability” issues and now also gives lectures on that topic to various groups.Pat and Pete were members of the Fire Department,

with Pat serving as Chief for several years. (That’s Pat’s belt buckle above right). One of the memorable

calls that Pat remembers is responding to a smoke odor report from upper PBH. It turned out that there was no smoke and no smoke odor - the “smoke” odor was a skunk! It must have been a city slicker who called that in.

Both are accomplished race walkers, with Pat finish-ing second twice in her age group at the National Senior games. Pat is thinking of taking up race walking again. Pete is not so sure - he may consider gentler pursuits like just walking the Boulder Boulder. Neither one considers that they are retired - just recentered.(The Press featured a story about the Palmers in the Summer 1994 issue. It can be accessed at http://www.pinebrookhills.org/Press/Articles/Pete and Pat Palmer.htm)

BUMP INTO ANY LIONS LATELY?

Peter Shapiro did. He and his family have seen several lions recently, including one on his driveway

and a group of three crossing Linden near North Cedar Brook. This sort of thing creates caution in a person. When taking his aging Golden Retriever Ruby out at night Peter puts a lighted collar on the dog, a head-lamp on himself, and, for protection, takes along his trusty #2 iron. Having done this one night in Decem-ber, Peter opened his door, not seeing the lion just outside it. But Ruby spotted the lion immediately and ran behind it, barking wildly. The lion panicked, turned and fled back towards Peter, who was astonished to see a lion running towards him. Reversing direction, the lion bumped into Peter, who stood stunned, golf club motionless at his side. The lion took off and Peter returned to the house with what he described as a pulse of about 200. But 11 year old Ruby, Defender of the Homestead, trotted in like a young pup.There have been other sightings of lions, if not

physical contact with them. Jan Gillespie recently saw a lion staring at her through her kitchen window. In Boulder Heights Joshua Witt reported a stare-down with a lion at his sliding glass door. All of which should remind us that not every neighbor is a member of the HOA. Watch out for the furry ones who aren’t.


PINE BROOK HILLSHOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONBOARDS AND COMMITTEES

PRESIDENTMark Menagh, 247-0827

VICE PRESIDENTBill Alexander, 544-1333

SECRETARYMarla Saville, 442-1682

TREASURERDave Davies, 938-0522

MEMBER-AT-LARGETim Triggs, 444-4093

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEWMike Connolly, 449-9799

SOCIAL CHAIR AND NEWCOMER WELCOME

Pam Creswell, 720-406-9783

WILDLIFE CONSULTANTDeborah Menagh, 247-0827

FIRE CHIEFJohn Benson, 440-0235

FIRE BOARD PRESIDENTEric Ramberg, 443-8084

FIRE/MEDICAL AUXILIARYArt Markey, 440-6132

WATER BOARDKirk Hendricks, Pres., 442-1308

WATER DISTRICTRobert de Haas, Mgr., 443-5394

PINE BROOK PRESSEDITOR

Suzanne Adams, 449-0997ASSOC. EDITORS: Evie Gray, 443-4086 Anne Singh, 417-0373LAYOUT: Param Singh, 417-0373STAFF: Bart Adams, 449-0997 ADVERTISING: Deborah Menagh, 247-0827E-MAIL: [email protected]

COMMUNITY CALENDARMeetings are at the Community Center/Firehouse unless otherwise noted.

AGING IN PLACE - Sunday, Jan. 20, 3 - 5 p.m. at Community Center, and Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. at Community Center. See story on page 7.

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE - Meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7 P.M.

BIBLE STUDY - Meets weekly. For info, call Greg or Donna Johnson at 449-1692.

FIRE BOARD - Meets the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 P.M. at either the Pine Brook or Boulder Heights Firehouse. Call 440-0235 for specifics.

FIRE AUXILIARY - Generally meets the first Sunday of every month at 7 P.M. Call 440-6132 for confirmation.

PBH NEWCOMER WELCOME - Feb 1, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. followed by SOCIAL (see page 6).

PBH SOCIAL - TGIF - Feb. 1, 7 - 10 p.m., Pam Creswell/Marshal Swanton’s house, 12 Boulder View Lane. (See page 6).

WATER BOARD - Meets first or second Thursday of every month at 4:30 P.M. Call Water Office at 443-5394 for dates.

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PINE BROOK PAST, PRESENT AND FUTUREHOA Meeting January 30. Potluck 6 p.m., Business Meeting 7 p.m.

WEBSITE: www.pinebrookhills.orgWEBMASTER: Param Singh, 417-0373

PRESIDENT’S THOUGHTSOUR VILLAGE, OUR SHARED POTENTIAL

By Mark Menagh, HOA President

January 30 is the next Pine Brook Hills Homeowners Association meet-ing. I hope to see you there!

Pine Brook Hills is a wonderful place to spend the holiday season and I hope everyone took the time to enjoy our inspiring neighborhood. It would be unusual to find someone living in Pine Brook Hills out of chance; we all live here out of choice. This part of Colorado is unique in many ways and we all live here to enjoy this remarkable ecotone between the plains and the mountains.While it often appears that we have all the advantages of city living in

the mountains, we do not. Pine Brook Hills must rely on volunteers for most of our rural support systems. As I am now stepping forward to the volunteer position of President of the Homeowners Association, I wish to thank all the volunteers in the HOA who have served before me, with particular mention of those that served these past two years on the


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Board of Directors. As President, Tim Triggs served our community with grace and diligence while putting in tremendous effort working on grants and negotiating the contracts for our forestry and fire mitigation efforts. Pam Creswell, who rotates off the board this year from member-at-large, will graciously continue as our Welcoming Committee and Social Chairperson and will continue to make the current and new residents of our community welcome. Also I would thank Mia Mestdagh for her work as the HOA Secretary where she participated in and kept minutes of our often lengthy meetings. A hearty THANK YOU to all of these neighbors from whom the rest of us have benefited greatly. Further, our community relies on so many volunteers it would be impossible to thank them all but I’ll mention a few: The Fire Protection District and their support groups The Auxiliary and the Third Arm, The Beetle Busters, Pine Brook Press editors and contributors, The Architectural Review Committee, The Water Board, Mountain Expressions and Webmasters. I call all on all of our neighbors to get involved and work together to keep this spirit of volunteerism vibrant and productive.Reminder: Our next homeowners meeting is on

January 30. These meetings are a terrific way to meet your neighbors, learn about what’s happening in the community, ask questions and participate. Although the meetings start with a delicious potluck at 6:00, the business meeting begins at 7:00. We have informative presentations from one or more of the community organizations where you can find out what kind of volunteer opportunities are available and what type of commitment is necessary to participate. We also actively discuss issues and opportunities for our community.This month we will be asking some of the neighbors

who have been here a while to share a few anecdotes and stories of the history of Pine Brook Hills and the HOA. If you have a story to share let me know so you can be included. I will also lead a discussion on the potential of our community organization and what can we do as an all-volunteer group. We have been very successful as a community in meeting our needs and volunteering to keep our neighborhood special. Please come and participate with your ideas, needs and concerns.Join us on Wednesday, January 30, to learn more about our great community.Cheers!

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?Treasurer’s Report for 2007

By Dave Davies, HOA Treasurer

As of December 15 the Pine Brook Hills Home Owners Association has $33,000 in the bank.

The summary for 2007 compared to the budget is as follows:Money Collected--$29,200 from dues, $3,775 from

advertising in the Press, interest and fees, and $19,850 from state grant reimbursements for our program of fire hazard mitigation-the fuel breaks. This makes a total of $52,825, just a bit better than our January budget estimate of $52,450.Money Spent--$39,807 was spent on the fuel breaks

and $1646 on forest health initiatives such as Beetle Busters and selected high risk clearing. This is over 78% of the total collected and reflects the plan we presented in January almost exactly. Of the rest we spent $3,726 on the Pine Brook Press (but got back $2,575 in ad revenue). Overall the Pine Brook Press team underspent its budget and generated more rev-enue than planned. We spent $3,349 on other items such as mailing costs, insurance, web hosting, legal, meeting expenses, supplies and postage, leaving a net surplus of $4,297 that we applied to the reserves. This is $2,947 better than we planned for in the original budget estimate.Plan for next year-right now your board is reviewing

the detail plan for 2008. We do have the potential for additional legal expenses and we hope to be able to define those before we submit the 2008 budget to the members at the January meeting. We have decided to keep the suggested dues at $75 per year despite the uncertain picture for 2008.More Information needed?-for those of you who would

like a detailed actual vs. budget by category state-ment as well as a balance sheet please wait until the middle of January when I will send out the full 2007 statements together with the 2008 budget and dues request to all the households.Last but not least-thank you to the almost 90%

of householders (owners and renters) who paid the voluntary dues in 2007. We averaged over $90 per household which means that well over 20% of you paid MORE than the suggested minimum. In fact several of the members paid over $500 and one very generous member paid $750. The generosity of many overcomes


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the reluctance of a small but determined few who do not feel the obligation, despite the fact that we use most of money to help maintain our forest and minimize fire hazards, which benefits all of us.And as a last word---the 2008 dues remain at $75 as

a suggested minimum. Do your best to pay more and send your 2008 dues to:

Dave Davies-Treasurer PBH (checks payable to PBH HOA); 151 Boulder View Lane, Boulder CO 80304, or drop in the HOA box at the firehouse. Call or email if you have a question: 303.938.0522 or

[email protected]

FIRE SIDE CHATBy John Benson, Fire Chief

While I am very happy to see all this moisture on the ground, the big goal now is to stay safe and warm

during these winter months. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

→ Do you have some sort of heating device (wood stove, insert, etc.) which you use in conjunction with your furnace system?

→ Do you use your wood burning stoves or fireplaces excessively during the cold months?

→ Did you have your chimney, flue and heating system cleaned and inspected for the winter season?

According to the United States Fire Administration an average of 38,000 heating device fires occur annu-ally in the United States. (See the cabin fire on page 1). By taking a few precautionary steps you can reduce the chances of becoming one of these statistics. Here are a few tips that will help you stay safer this winter:

• If you have not done so, have your chimney, flu and heating device cleaned by a professional. If you use your wood stove or fireplace excessively I

recommend having your unit cleaned more than once a year.

• Ensure that all stove pipes and flue pipes are completely intact. Escaping embers will find those little openings and can cause an attic fire. Once a fire starts in the attic it often will not take long to ravage a house.

• Do not overstuff your heating device with wood or other products. This can cause excessive heating of the piping system and over time will actually

break down the piping system, setting you up for a potential fire problem.

• Be sure that you are operating your heating equipment in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations. This will promote greater longevity of your equipment.

• Be sure that your spark arrestors are in working order and that you have not acquired nesting animals within your piping system. I hope these tips will help ensure you a safe and warm winter season. Also, please remember that with winter conditions come many driving hazards. Always remember to practice defensive driving skills.

THE THIRD ARM CAN LEND A HAND

Would you or someone you know need help if you had to evacuate your home? If so, the Fire

Department needs to know. Third Arm member Pippa May is compiling a list of residents needing assis-tance should our neighborhood have to evacuate. To be added to the list, please contact Pippa at [email protected] or call her after 5 PM at 303-417-1855.

ON THE WATER FRONTWith Bob de Haas

The first year of the reservoir was what the District considered a success: the District did not need to

impose any water restrictions; there was ample water for everyone’s needs, even during times when we could not draw water from our main surface water diversion (as the flows were too low), and it is providing a reli-able source of water during the winter when our water rights are the most limited! While the reservoir level dropped some during the late summer and fall, that is exactly what it is supposed to do, provide water even when we cannot add water to the reservoir. We have only heard from a few people about the


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new water rate structure. If the District could have reasonably anticipated that everyone would continue to use water so wisely then the District would have been raising the rates each year instead of having to make such a big jump in one year. We are not the only entity faced with this dilemma. The City of Aurora has raised their rates 88% since 2001 with high end users seeing increases of over 400%, Fort Collins has raised their rates by 50% since 2001, and many other enti-ties have been forced to raise rates to offset better water use with increased costs. In this day and age it is not socially acceptable or responsible to promote increased use to offset those costs, so that leaves finding ways to be more efficient, which we are always working on, and increasing the cost of the water. 2008 is an election year for Board Directors. There

are two directors up for election, Brian Hanson and Marie Zanowick, both of whom have indicated a willing-ness to continue to serve. These terms will be for four years. Art Markey would like to retire from the Board and will do so as of May 2008. This will then create a vacancy. Since his term is not due to expire until 2010 it will be a two year term. If you are interested in either running for that vacancy or for one of the four year terms, please contact the Pine Brook Water District and ask for me, Robert de Haas, and we will get you the necessary paperwork. To be included on the ballot you must have filed the necessary paperwork before the end of February. The District looks forward to hearing from any interested people and if you have questions about what is involved please do not hesi-tate to call any of the Board members or the office.

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM PAM CRESWELL, NEWCOMER AND SOCIAL CHAIR

A definite perquisite of living in Pine Brook Hills is that, by and large, we tend to enjoy each other’s

company. But with our widely spaced houses, we often don’t see our neighbors as much as we would like. Solution - Socials!SOCIALS!

TGIF get togethers, an old PBH tradition, will be rein-stated and held on the first Friday of each month at various neighbors homes! This will be self pay in that guests will be asked to contribute some snack food plus $10 per person to cover drinks and other expenses. All Pine Brook Hills residents are invited and encouraged to attend. See old friends and make new

ones!RSVPs are encouraged but not required. (RSVP to [email protected])The first TGIF get together will be at the home of Marshal Swanton and Pamela Creswell at 12 Boulder View Lane. It will be on Friday, February 1, from 7 until 10 pm.(Boulder View is the left turn at the very top of SOUTH Cedar Brook Rd.)Watch your mail for details about the upcoming TGIF locations. (until late Spring they will be held in easy access homes.)NEWCOMERS

If you are new to Pine Brook Hills and have not yet received our Neighborhood Information/ Phone Direc-tory, please email me at [email protected] NEWCOMERS ORIENTATION AND WELCOMING GET TOGETHER will preceed the TGIF party on February 1 and will be held at the same home from 5:30 until 7pm.CARDS AND GAMES PLAYERS?

Bridge? Rumikub? Other? Would you like to be put in touch with others with your same interests to perhaps organize regular get togethers? If so, please email me with your name, phone number, and a descrip-tion of your interests and times/days that might work for you.

REPORT AND PLEA FROM THE BMFPD AUXILIARY

By Art & Babette Markey

The BMFPD Auxiliary had a good year in 2007 for fund raising. We raised a net of almost $17,000

between the Garage Sale and Mountain Expressions!!! In addition to normal department support (paying for the department Holiday party, providing food for monthly maintenance sessions, stocking Gatorade and water in all the fire stations, etc), the big project that Chief Benson wanted us to fund for 2007 was the conversion of all the Fire Scouts in the district from regular battery powered to solar power, which makes them self-sustaining. As we start 2008 we are looking ahead to the 2008

Garage Sale. As you may recall from our post-Garage-Sale-2007 article, the Auxiliary is in need of more help from the community at large to keep this sale going


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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR......

NEW WATER RATES

Dear Editor:I did some research to understand why Pine Brook Water District recently introduced a 60% plus increase in our water utility bill. The huge increase was announced 15 days before implementation.According to Western Resource Advocates, PBWD water structure rates are the second highest in Colo-rado. In June 2007, a survey of annual water and sewer bills was conducted for 15 Front Range com-munities. The bills were for a typical single-family resi-

at its current level. We are defining pieces of the work that we need to have people step up and agree to ‘own,’ i.e., be responsible to see that it gets done and done on time. There are a lot of different pieces that we can carve out, with varying time requirements, from a few hours on up. Please consider becoming a part of the team that runs the garage sale. We DO need your help! You can contact us at 303-440-6132.

NEW LEADERSHIP FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE

By Ken LarkinAfter over 10 years on the ARC I have decided to “retire” as of the first of the year. I have truly enjoyed serving the community as Chairman of the ARC and hope that those of you that brought projects to the ARC felt that the process was handled professionally, fairly and in a timely way.I am leaving the Chairmanship of the ARC in the very

capable hands of Mike Connolly, who has been serving on the ARC as Secretary. The other current members, Tim Triggs and John Hess, will still be serving on the board and long time member, Luke Landin, who had taken a short hiatus, is coming back as an active member at the first of the year. So the continuity and guidance from the ARC will be as strong as ever.

AGING IN PLACE IS NOT JUST FOR SENIORSBy Ilene Lasher

The ongoing work that Pine Brook residents are doing to create a community in which we can all age

well in PBH will continue with a meeting that is open to everyone on Sunday, January 20, 2008 from 3-5 PM at the PBH Community Center/Firehouse. We will learn about Boulder city and county programs for which we qualify and which should be available to us. We are planning to have county services personnel meet with us.People of all ages are welcome. A community in which

we can age well also means a community that has services that may support all residents who may have a need (e.g. transportation, meals, home nursing care, respite care, etc.).

Special Guest Speaker for April 6

by Tim Triggs

The Pine Brook Hills Aging-in-Place Group is fortu-nate in being able to present Zalman Schachter-

Shalomi at our April 6, 2008 meeting at 2:00 in the Community Room. He will speak to us about Spiritual Intimacy.Zalman spent many years in both Canada and the

Eastern U.S. as a Professor of Religion, Near Eastern Studies, Jewish Mysticism and Psychology of Religion. In 1995 he was called to be the World Wisdom Chair at Naropa University and later joined the faculty in the Department of Religion. He is now retired from the faculty but remains as emeritus professor.His own experience of aging and eldering compelled

him to found the Spiritual Eldering Institute in 1989, encouraged and assisted by professionals and col-leagues in the field of aging. He has since developed and taught workshops to many thousands of individu-als seeking to expand their awareness to match our extended life span. He has published a large number of articles and

monographs and has translated many Hassidic and Kabbalistic texts. His latest books are titled From Age-ing To Sage-ing (Warner, 1995) and Wrapped in a Holy Flame, (Jossey Bass, 2003).


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(Aurora residential up 88%, businesses up 463%, Fort Collins up 50% ), all because of the effects of water conservation. It is true that the City of Boulder raised their rates 4%. HOWEVER, the cost for residential use of 5,000 gallons of water has gone up 31% since 2001 as compared to 2008. City of Boulder business customers are seeing a much higher increase (we do not have a business base to help carry the costs). 1B. Why wasn’t this huge increase anticipated and com-municated several years ago?

The District knew it was drawing from its reserves but the thinking was that with the completion of the reservoir, usages would return to more normal levels - with a corresponding increase in water revenues. In hindsight it would have been better if the District had raised the rates each year, but we were dealing with several years of unique drought situations and the reduced usages were blamed more on those droughts than on a change in usage habits. Our thinking was that if we can just tough it out until the project is done, revenues would recover. Should the District have sent out more newsletters? Maybe. Of course you could also say that if more people took the time to attend the board meetings to stay informed then they also would have known about the situation. It’s easy to try to throw the blame somewhere but we all share in responsibility. 2. What did the PBWD do to mitigate the increase?

There is not a lot the District can do. Most of our costs are beyond our control such as:

A. Cost of electricity to move the water so it’s available at your home

B. Cost of emergency repairs to broken water mains and need for regular maintenance, again so that you have water available at your home with the least amount of interruption

C. Cost of insurance D. Salaries for 2 1/2 employees. We have managed

to hold ourselves to this level for over 20 years now, even though the amount of work, especially the paperwork, has increased

These four items alone comprise about 2/3 of the operating budget. 3. What did the PBWD do to lower its operating costs to offset the increase in water charges?

We kept new training to a minimum, put off rehab

RESPONSE TO FRANCES REEL’S LETTERBy Bob de Haas

1A. Why didn’t we get advanced notice regarding the increase?

The District did send out a newsletter in October of this year outlining usage patterns (they have gone down even with the reservoir) and water sales receipts since 2001 (again gone down because of decreased usage). We explained that the District has been using up its reserves, that the District cannot get “grants” or free money (average income level too high), and indicated when the Board of Directors were going to meet to discuss what to do. We even included a copy of an article from the Daily Camera about how many entities are having to raise their rates drastically

dential customer with an average lot size of 9,000 square feet and an irrigable area of 5,200 square feet. City of Boulder implemented a 4% increase in their water rates. There seems to be a good deal of data available on water pricing. Water rate struc-tures play an essential role in communicating the value of water to your customers, thus promoting long-term efficient management. Therefore, I would like the PBWD & Board to answer the following questions. As a courtesy to the residents of PBH, they should respond to the questions below in the PBH newsletter.1. Why didn’t we get advanced notice regarding the

increase? Why wasn’t this huge increase antici-pated and communicated several years ago?

2. What did the PBWD do to mitigate the increase?3. What did the PBWD do to lower its operating

costs to offset the increase in water charges?4. Why is the bill regressive? The more you use the

cheaper it is? How does that encourage conserva-tion?

5. Why is our water structure so expensive?6. What is the strategy of PBWD to deal with this

cost issue? 7. What role does the new dam play in the increased

costs?A timely response to these questions would be greatly appreciated.Frances Reel324 Pine Needle Road


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YOGA TEACHER...

Dear Neighbors,I wanted to let you know about my friend Nancy who is a health care consultant and yoga teacher in Boul-der. She moved here from Hawaii over the summer and is working hard to build her business. I got to know her through the yoga classes that she teaches at Alchemy of Movement ( she also teaches at One Boulder Fitness and Om Time). She recently sent me this offer for free consultations and I thought that you might like to take advantage of it or her yoga classes. I find her classes very instructional as she is very conscientious about the yoga postures. She would love to have small groups to work with in people’s homes in Pine Brook.Ellen Caukin(See ad on page 10)

projects for pump houses and tanks (how much longer can we do that?), put off plans for any new fire hydrants, kept engineering costs to a minimum unless where absolutely needed, same for legal costs, renego-tiated water rights agreements and their costs, and tried to find ways to maximize our electrical costs versus production where practical. 4. Why is the bill regressive? The more you use the cheaper it is?

The new water rates are not regressive. There is a $27.00 service fee (this is the first time we have sep-arated the service fee from any water usage), after which the first 5,000 gallons cost $12 per thousand, the next 5,000 gallons cost $15.00 per thousand, the third 5,000 gallons cost $17.00 per thousand, and EVERY 1,000 GALLONS AFTER THAT COSTS $20.00. Under the old rates the service fee was built into the first 2,000 gallons, the next 4,000 gallons cost $9.00 per thousand, the third 4,000 gallons cost $10.00 per thousand, the fourth 5,000 gallons cost $13.00 per thousand and every thousand after that cost $18.00 per thousand. How does that encourage water conservation? Water

conservation is good for the environment, but bad for the Water District budget and your cost for the water. The less that everyone uses the more it costs per thousand to produce and distribute. The District’s water rates are high enough that for most people they continue to encourage conservation and wise water use. It seems as though everyone thinks, “Why shouldn’t

we just be charging the high end users really high rates to support everyone else?” From the conversations we have had with people it would appear that everyone thinks everyone else is a high end user. THE FACTS ARE THAT EVEN IN AUGUST OF 2007 67% OF THE RESIDENTS USED 5,000 GALLONS OR LESS. BY NOVEMBER OF 2007 THAT PERCENTAGE WAS 84%! The truth is that the majority of residents, for the majority of the year, are not high end users. This means that the majority of the users have to bear the cost. It is not possible to pass it on to someone else. 5. Why is our water structure so expensive? This was covered in the answer to question #2.

6. What is the strategy of PBWD to deal with this cost issue?

As noted in the answer to question #2 most of our costs cannot be reduced and as noted in the answer to question #3 where we can make cuts or put off expenses we have done that. What more can we do, encourage more usage? That would be irresponsible given the overall environmental concerns of this day and age. 7. What roles does the new dam play in the increased costs?

The new dam’s operating costs and insurance for 2008 will be about $4,000.00 which is about 1% of the operating budget for 2008. The District would like to add that for the last six

years everyone has saved because the water rates were not increased (though we feel at this time we probably should have increased them each year), but now it cannot be avoided. Lastly, the District would remind everyone that if it had not been for the res-ervoir, everyone would have been under severe water restrictions from early August until November and we would have been lucky not to have run out of water! And with the current enforcement of water rights we might have had a problem again starting sometime in January. The next Pine Brook Water Board meeting will be on

February 7, 2008 starting at 4:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to come to discuss these issues further is, of course, more than welcome to attend.


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We clean Gutters and do Pressure Washing!


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PINE BROOK VS. PINE BEETLES - Who’s Winning?

The map (on p. 15) shows the results of pine beetle infestation in Pine Brook Hills. Inspected properties

are colored bright green where no beetles were found, yellow where Turpentine Beetles were discovered, and red where Mountain Pine Beetles or Ips Beetles were identified. Pale green properties have not yet been inspected. In order to make identification of prob-lem areas easier whole properties have been colored, regardless of how many trees were infested. All the beetle trees on properties marked in red have been treated.

The Colorado Forestry Association is concerned that the conditions creating the mountain pine beetle epi-demic in Grand County also prevail on the Front Range. Like Grand County, Pine Brook has experienced years of drought and fire suppression in our over-crowded and single-aged forest. Most of our trees are Ponderosas, and most of our Ponderosas are 100 years old. Who’s winning the beetle battle? The beetles almost

certainly outnumber us, but we are considerably bigger (bark beetles range from 1⁄4 to 3/8 inch long). Our volunteer Beetle Busters will inspect your property free of charge and can offer information about dealing with any forest health issue that they find. Because an unhealthy forest is so closely related to wildfire risk, our fire department’s Mitigation Program will also gladly offer free consultations on forest health and fire mitigation. There’s too much pale green on that map! Call for a

consultation:Beetle Busters: call Pamela Creswell, 720.406.9783Boulder Mountain Fire Protection District: call Steve

Lynn, 303.440.0235

IMHO* - ON THE USES OF THE RESERVOIRBy Suzanne Adams

As we look forward to the replacement of dirt on the eastern face of the dam (well, naturally - not

on the water side!) we can also anticipate the comple-tion of a beautiful as well as a practical project. Until then, the area is still “under construction” and posted with No Trespassing signs.Questions about recreational uses of the reservoir

have been present since the project was proposed: should there be some limited access to the area (swimming and motor boats have been precluded - other uses are to be determined), or not?The Water District Board of Directors favors limited

access, as reaffirmed unanimously at their December 2007 meeting. The Pine Brook community also favors limited access. By a greater than 3-to-1 majority Pine Brook residents responding to a Water District ques-tionnaire favored allowing some access to the reser-voir area, with most of them indicating that they would use the access if permitted. What are the objections to limited access? One

objection involves liability: if an accident occurred on the property would Pine Brook residents have any lia-bility? The answer is no. The property is owned by the Water District, a governmental entity having reason-able immunity from lawsuits. The law does not regard reservoirs as “attractive nuisances” in the way that an unfenced swimming pool might be viewed. The Water District’s insurance carrier has no objection to limited public access.But is the area simply too dangerous to allow even

limited access? Well, right now it IS dangerous. A careless person might fall off the east side of the dam. But when the dirt is replaced that threat will be removed. While children should always be supervised when near water, our reservoir should not pose any extraordinary danger.Why not begin by creating a small walking trail on the

north side of the water, the safest side with possibly the prettiest views? Last year we had five little ducks on the reservoir. How delightful it would be to watch them grow! A necessary element to make this plan work would

be a committee of volunteers, reporting to the Water District, to oversee the project. If you would like to be involved in the decisions about recreational uses of the reservoir, please call the Water District

(303.443.5943) or write to [email protected].*IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) is the sole expression of one humble editor’s opinion.

Mountain Pine Beetle(left)

Ips Beetle(right)


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BACK YARD BOBCAT

MOUNTAIN EXPRESSIONS 2007By Marysue Huckabee

Thanks so much to everyone who helped make Moun-tain Expressions a success again this year. Susan

Maxwell guided the ship again this year with the help of many dedicated workers. As it was my first year to help, I was so impressed with the turnout ofworkers who did so many jobs. Thanks from the fire department for the monies raised by all your hard

work.The bake

sale was a huge success thanks to everyone in the neigh-borhood who con-tributed all the yummy treats. There wasn’t one item left to

purchase at

the end of Sunday! We also had many happy shoppers who went home with treats galore.

The craft table was overflowing with fun items made by so many talented crafters. Thanks to

all of you “crafty” neighbors.The show

couldn’t go on without the artists. Many thanks to all of you for bringing your artwork. This is truly a talented

neighborhood.As the theme of the show suggested, Happy Hiberna-

tion to all and see you again next year.

Diana Waddell and her biceps....er...jewellery.

Fumi Scurry and Anne Singh: We meet again at Mountain Expressions!

The Bake Table: Too good to last!

PBH BEETLE STATUS - JANUARY 2008(Light green lots have not been inspected)

Photo by Steve Mestdagh

PINE BROOK PRESS1907 Linden DriveBoulder, Colorado, 80304

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOULDER CO PERMIT NO. 224

Photo by Peter MaybeeDEER DEER

pine brook press issues... · trees and plants to prevent erosion and to make the site attractive....

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